1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to emulating mobile logic in a communication system and, more particularly, to emulating malicious mobile logic such as computer worms to assess susceptibility of the communication system (e.g., a computer network) to such malicious mobile logic.
2. Background
The present invention addresses issues relating to communication systems, and specifically to the propagation of mobile logic in communication systems. Mobile logic includes all logic that is capable of propagating itself or a process associated with the logic in a communication system. Mobile logic can be a computer virus, an E-mail virus, or a computer worm, to provide some examples. A computer virus is often included in an executable program that is stored or executed in the communication system. The computer virus can replicate itself in other executable programs of the communication system. A worm generally need not be included in an executable program in the communication system. For instance, the worm can be an executable program and/or include an executable program.
Malicious mobile logic can, for example, delete files, send E-mail messages with or without attached documents, consume resources of the communication system, slow down traffic of the communication system, and/or infect other computers in the communication system. The mobile logic can also conceal the identity (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) address) of an infected computer.
Mobile logic can spread through a localized communication system, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), such as an enterprise network, within seconds and through a globalized communication system, such as the Internet, within minutes. In the case of a worm, for example, entire networks of computers can be “brought down” or made nonfunctioning. It is therefore necessary to have hardware and/or software defenses in place to reduce vulnerability to such worms. It is also necessary that such hardware and/or software defenses be tested to determine their efficacy. However, releasing mobile logic into a computer network for purposes of testing is a risky endeavor. If the defenses are not effective against the testing mobile logic, network functionality could be compromised. Also, it is unacceptable for the testing system to be destructive in the same way mobile malicious code would be. The testing system needs to operate benignly with respect to the communication system that is being tested.
What is needed is a system and method to emulate mobile logic in a communication system that addresses one or more of the aforementioned shortcomings of conventional mobile logic simulation systems and methods.